AP Thursday Sports Roundup

Curry, Warriors beat Heat

UNDATED (AP) — The Golden State Warriors remain on pace to break the NBA record for wins in a season following another strong shooting performance by Stephen Curry on Wednesday.

The Warriors guard poured in 42 points and nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in Golden State's 14th victory in 15 games, 118-112 at Miami. Curry also tied a league record by hitting a 3-pointer for the 127th consecutive regular-season game. It came on his first basket just 1:18 into the opening period.

Klay Thompson scored 17 of his 33 points in the final period as the Warriors improved to 51-5. They need to win 22 of their final 26 games to break the league record of 72 victories set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Also in the NBA:

— Kawhi Leonard returned from a calf injury to score 18 points and grab eight rebounds in San Antonio's 108-92 verdict over the Kings. The Spurs hit 52 percent of their shots, with Tony Parker scoring a team-high 23 points on 11 of 17 from the floor.

— Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 24 points apiece as Oklahoma City knocked off Dallas 116-103 to complete a season sweep of the Mavericks. Westbrook also had 13 assists and seven rebounds for the Thunder, who scored the first 15 points of the fourth quarter before withstanding a 14-0 run by the Mavs.

— LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 23 points and newcomer Channing Frye had 15 as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Charlotte 114-103. James shot 8-for-13 from the field and contributed seven rebounds and seven assists, one game after tying a season low with 12 points on 5 of 18 shooting.

— Toronto tied a club record with its ninth straight home win as DeMar DeRozan scored 31 points and Kyle Lowry added 21 in a 114-105 decision over Minnesota. DeRozan and Lowry combined for 20 points in the final period to help the Raptors close out the victory.

— Denver stopped a three-game skid as Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Nuggets' 87-81 triumph over the Clippers in Los Angeles. Gary Harris added 17 points and Danilo Gallinari 16 as the Nuggets handed the Clippers just their fourth loss in 13 games.

— Paul George shot 1-for-9 in the first half before scoring 25 of his 27 in the second to send Indiana to a 108-105 win against New York. Myles Turner had 24 points in the Pacers' fifth victory in seven games.

— Matt Barnes was 5-for-9 from 3-point range while scoring a season-high 25 points in the Grizzlies' wire-to-wire win over the Los Angeles Lakers, 128-119. P.J. Hairston contributed four of the Grizzlies' season-high 13 treys and finished with 17 points.

— Taj Gibson and E'Twaun Moore each scored 17 points and Tony Snell added 16 to carry the short-handed Bulls to a 109-104 triumph over Washington in Chicago. Pau Gasol was the lone Bulls regular starter to play due to illness or injury, finishing with 15 rebounds, 10 points and nine assists in Chicago's third straight win.

— Tobias Harris led a balanced offense with 22 points and Andre Drummond had 18 rebounds as Detroit handed Philadelphia its sixth consecutive loss, 111-91. The Pistons grabbed an early 16-point lead and earned their second straight victory since a five-game skid.

NBA-PISTONS

Detroit loses Johnson

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Pistons forward Stanley Johnson is out indefinitely with a sprained right shoulder. The eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft was injured in Detroit's win in Cleveland Tuesday night. He is averaging nine points, four-plus rebounds and 24 minutes per game this season.

TOP 25 MEN'S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE

Xavier downs Villanova

UNDATED (AP) — Villanova's reign atop The Associated Press men's basketball poll could end on Monday.

The Wildcats lost for just the second time in their last 18 games as J.P. Macura scored 19 points off the bench to lead fifth-ranked Xavier to a 90-83 victory against Villanova. Freshman Edmond Sumner had 19 points and nine assists for the Musketeers, who led by 15 points late and held on with free throws. Xavier also dominated the boards 42-33 and improved to 25-3 overall, 13-3 in the Big East.

Villanova's Kris Jenkins scored points before fouling out with 8:47 left.

'Nova is 13-2 in the conference and 25-3 overall.

In other top-25 finals:

— Ryan Spangler dropped in a career-high 26 points and No. 3 Oklahoma outscored Oklahoma State 44-25 in the second half of a 71-49 trouncing of the Cowboys. Buddy Hield scored 17 points and Isaiah Cousins added seven points, seven assists and six rebounds as the Sooners pulled even with West Virginia for second place in the Big 12.

— Seventh-ranked North Carolina beat North Carolina State 80-68 behind Brice Johnson's 22 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Jackson added 17 points for the Tar Heels, who trailed by 13 early before improving to 12-3 in the ACC.

— Bronson Koenig scored 15 points and Wisconsin made its case for an NCAA tournament berth by upsetting eighth-ranked Iowa, 67-59 in Iowa City. Nigel Hayes added 10 points for the Badgers, who held the Hawkeyes to 27 percent shooting in the first half before posting their ninth win in 10 games. Iowa lost for the third time in four games despite Peter Jok's 21 points.

— There also was a surprise in Boulder as Josh Scott scored a season-high 26 points and Colorado overcame his two late turnovers to beat No. 9 Arizona 75-72. George King added 14 points and Josh Fortune had 13 as the Buffaloes picked up their 20th win and beat the Wildcats for the first time in their last seven meetings.

— Quentin Snider scored 14 points and 11th-ranked Louisville hit its last nine field-goal attempts in a 67-60 triumph at Pittsburgh. The game was tied at 58 with 3:10 until the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run.

— Elgin Cook scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half to lead No. 13 Oregon past Washington State, 76-62. Chris Boucher had 18 points and 13 rebounds as the Ducks set a school record with their 24th consecutive home win.

— Danuel House capped his 16-point performance by hitting two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining to lift No. 21 Texas A&M over Mississippi State 68-66. Freshman Tyler Davis had 15 points as the Aggies won their third in a row following a four-game skid.

— No. 23 Notre Dame got 18 points and 12 rebounds from Zach Auguste in a 69-58 win at Wake Forest. Steve Vasturia added 16 points and Demetrius Jackson had all 15 of his in the second half as the Fighting Irish improved to 19-8.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL-FLORIDA STATE-HAMILTON

New deal for FSU's Hamilton

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton has been given a two-year extension through 2018-19. The winningest coach in the program's history is in his 14th season at the school and has a 252-184 record. The new contract will run until the end of the 2018-19 season.

MLB-SPRING TRAINING

DL for Hamilton

UNDATED (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles apparently have acquired a new outfielder, but they still aren't sure about their starting rotation.

The Birds appear ready to sign free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler, who hit .250 with 17 home runs, 46 RBIs and 20 stolen bases for the Cubs last season. Orioles center fielder Adam Jones says he has spoken with Fowler and says Fowler is excited about joining the team.

Meanwhile, the Birds are awaiting results of a physical on Gallardo, who accepted a three-year, $35 million pact last weekend. The deal has since been reworked to a two-year, $22 million package with an $11 million option.

Also in the majors:

— Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will start the season on the disabled list because of an injured left knee. The 2010 AL MVP will be on crutches for seven-to-10 days and is projected to need eight weeks of recovery time. He had surgery on the knee twice last year and experienced soreness after reporting to spring training last week.

— Major League Baseball has reduced the suspension of Mets reliever Hansel Robles  from three to two games after he agreed to drop his appeal. Robles was penalized for throwing near the head of a Philadelphia batter last September after both teams had been warned. He will miss the Mets' first two games of the season in Kansas City.

NHL-SCHEDULE

Habs cool off Caps

UNDATED (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens took a break from their 2 ½ month-long slide to knock off the NHL's best team.

Alex Galchenyuk scored the opening goal and the eventual game-winner as the Canadiens topped the Capitals 4-3 in Washington. Galchenyuk gave the Habs a 4-1 lead with 7:24 left in the second period, about 10 ½ minutes after Tomas Fleischman's goal chased Capitals netminder Braden Holtby.

Dmitry Orlov and Andre Burakovsky tallied in the last 7:36, but the Caps couldn't get the equalizer and lost in regulation for just the 11th time in 59 games.

Washington continues to lead the Eastern Conference by 17 points over Florida.

The Canadiens won for just the sixth time in their last 19 games, leaving them five points out of an Eastern Conference playoff slot.

Elsewhere on NHL ice:

— Sami Vatanen provided the only goal and Frederik Andersen turned back 26 shots as Anaheim blanked Buffalo 1-0, putting the Ducks within two points of the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings. Andersen's first shutout of the season and fourth of his career allowed the Ducks to earn their sixth straight win and improve to 13-1-1 in their last 15 games.

— Shootout goals by Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon sent Colorado past San Jose 4-3, putting the Avalanche four points ahead of Minnesota for the final Western Conference playoff berth. Joel Ward's goal with 1:31 remaining in regulation allowed the Sharks to pull within four points of the Pacific Division-leading Kings.

— David Pastrnak scored Boston's first two goals before the Bruins tallied three times in the third period to wrap up a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh. Tuukka Rask handled 41 shots as the Bruins climbed within three points of the Metropolitan Division-leading Panthers.

NHL-MOVES

NHL punishes Reaves

UNDATED (AP) — The NHL has suspended St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves for three games without pay for a blindside hit into the boards that injured San Jose defenseman Matt Tennyson on Monday.

Tennyson had chased down the puck at the end boards and had his back to Reaves when he was checked from behind. Reaves was issued a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct.

Also in the NHL:

— Washington Capitals forward Mike Richards will not be prosecuted on a charge of possession of a controlled substance in Manitoba. Attorney David Humphrey and agent Pat Morris said the prosecutors had investigated and decided to stay the charge that was the equivalent of a misdemeanor. Richards was arrested June 17 at the Canadian border between North Dakota and Manitoba and was found to be in possession of a controlled substance.

— Senators rookie defenseman Chris Wideman has agreed to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension rather than test the free-agent market this summer. Wideman leads all NHL rookie blueliners with five goals and has nine points in 44 games.

— The Wild have placed forward Jason Zucker on injured reserve because of a concussion. He'll miss at least the next two games after being injured in a game Sunday against Chicago. Zucker has 12 goals and 10 assists in 58 games this season.

NBA/NFL-SAINTS/PELICANS OWNERSHIP

Court upholds Benson competence

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana appeals court has upheld a civil judge's ruling that New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson was mentally competent when he ousted relatives from ownership positions with his NFL and NBA clubs and appointed his third wife as his primary successor.

Benson's estranged daughter and her children have been trying to reverse the owner's moves.

Their attorney says his clients are considering filing an appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

NFL-JETS-BOWLES

Jets coach has tumor removed

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — New York Jets coach Todd Bowles says he had a non-cancerous, golf ball-sized tumor removed from his throat shortly after the team's season concluded.

Newsday and NJ Advance Media report that Bowles revealed the procedure to a few media members after a news conference at the NFL scouting combine Wednesday. Tests revealed the growth was benign but caused him some trouble swallowing because it was pressing against the artery in his neck.

NFL-MOVES

Report: Saints to release Colston

UNDATED (AP) — A person familiar with the decision says Saints all-time leading receiver Marques Colston has been informed he'll be released by the club after 10 years of service.

The 32-year-old Colston owns Saints receiving records for catches with 711, yards with 9,759 and touchdowns with 72.

In other NFL news:

— 49ers general manager Trent Baalke says he expected quarterback Colin Kaepernick to be back with the team next season. Kaepernick lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert last season after going 2-6. Kaepernick is expected to get a shot at winning back the starting job under new coach Chip Kelly, who prefers mobile quarterbacks.

The 49ers have signed defensive tackle Quinton Dial to a three-year contract extension through 2019. The 25-year-old Dial was a fifth-round pick by the Niners out of Alabama in 2013 and had 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season while starting 15 games.

GOLF-WOODS

Video show Woods swinging an iron

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Following reports on social media that his recovery from back surgery has not gone well, Tiger Woods has posted a video of him swinging a 9-iron in a golf simulator. The 13-second video Woods posted on Twitter shows him dressed in shorts and golf shoes taking a smooth swing.